Chicago KISSfest

September 8, 2002, Elgin, Illinois

In the center of the building there was a concert hall with a full stage. The concert hall seated 1,200 people. The Kiss tribute band Kiss'd played in the arena portion of the building. We were impressed with the attention to detail of the band. The pyrotechnics, fog machine and stage show were impressive. It is obvious that the members of Kiss'd are talented.

After the Kissfest concluded, some of the people from the expo went to a nearby restaurant/bar for dinner and drinks. Eric Singer was also at the restaurant with friends.

My opinion on the Kissfest, it was great. It was not the largest expo that I have been to but it was well organized. Since the expo was on the smaller side it was not as hectic as some other events (Ace Party).

From the "Courier News" Newspaper in Chicago
Kissed off
By Kathaleen Roberts
STAFF WRITER
When Micki Toepp was growing up in Memphis, she kept her Kiss obsession a secret from her arson investigator father.
"I liked all the pyrotechnic stuff," Toepp said of the band, as famous for its fire-breathing and guitar fireworks as its makeup.
Now a 41-year-old nurse, Toepp was decked out in silver Kiss earrings, bracelets and rings. She's seen the band nine times.
"I went to a Baptist-Christian school when I was young," she said. "I'm from the South; I'm a rebel."
Toepp and some 800 Kissheads converged on Elgin's Hemmens Cultural Center for the area's second annual Kissfest on Sunday. The Kiss Army browsed booths selling everything from "Kiss Kondoms" to official makeup kits, sang karaoke, competed for best costume and rocked to the Kiss tribute band Kiss'd.
Fans rhapsodized over Kiss' grand-opera-meets-hell stage theatrics, citing a heavy metal hunger mixed with attitude. Some were turning their enthusiasm into profit through sales of Kiss-related products. Many recalled meeting band members who happily posed for photographs and signed autographs, cementing a lifelong loyalty.
Jamie Faciana drove 7 1/2 hours from Cleveland, awakening at 3:45 a.m. to make the show.
"I love the music," said Faciana, 35, who sells embroidery equipment. "I've got a whole room full of (Kiss) stuff. We've got bears, we've got posters, we've got pictures, we've got magazines.
"They've been around a long time," she continued, "longer than almost anybody. They make us feel important."
John is the designer of a Kiss Web site. Now 37, he's been a fan since 1977.
"We went to Australia a year ago for five Kiss concerts," he said. "We just save up. They're entertaining; they're legendary."
John's Web site at MyKissArmy.com features his personal Kiss collection. He's even got a used foam microphone cover.
"Gene (Simmons) actually bit down on it and pulled it off the microphone," he said. "He spit it out and I caught it."
John attended the Westwood premier of the movie Rock Star because he heard Simmons and Paul Stanley were making an appearance. The Kiss anthem Lick It Up was used in the film.
He asked the pair to sign his Kiss comic book, infamous because the band donated blood to be used in the red ink. One enterprising collector was selling photocopies of the "blood certificate" the band signed with Marvel Comics at $1 per page.
"There's videos of it — of them drawing the blood," John added.
Marti Taylor-Dee is writing a Kiss romance novel to market to what she called an overlooked fan base. Most of the Kiss merchandising is targeted toward men, the Cleveland-based radio promoter said.
"You don't have to wear a thong to be a Kiss fan," she said. "We're writing what we consider Harlequin on steroids. It's not rude, it's not crude, it's not offensive, but it's erotic."
Fans who wanted to extend their stint in the Kiss Army beyond this life could buy a $5,000 Kiss coffin airbrushed with the band's likeness. Those willing to settle for a portrait with the ultimate Kisshead resting place paid $3 for a Polaroid.
"They keep asking if they can climb inside it," said photographer Josh Burton. "We have to say no to them and we feel bad."
09/10/02